Booksology – Spoiler Review –
A Sith apprentice craves power and Darth Vader, still fresh from his descent to the dark side, grows impatient with his Master regarding the powers he was promised. In Master of Evil, Vader’s search for answers entangles a surprising variety of individuals, each with their own motives tied to what’s uncovered, leading to a compelling and even emotional adventure full of Adam Christopher’s signature ability to tap into the nuances of the dark side without losing the franchise’s theme of hope along the way.
Taking place shortly after Revenge of the Sith, in a gap during the Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith comic series, Master of Evil finds Imperial Royal Guard Commander Holland Goth in the unenvious position of monitoring Vader after the Sith Lord is sent on a mission to investigate a shaman’s ability to raise the dead. Vader and Goth have their own reasons to be interested in these abilities and when the truth of what it all might lead to comes to light, both must question their true allegiances and just how far they are willing to go for what they desire most. Goth is more Master of Evil’s main character than Vader, though it’s because writer Adam Christopher understands the less-is-more adage works best with the Sith Lord, and through Goth, as well as several other point-of-views along the way and some mesmerizing later sections, we still get an interesting insight into Vader during this tumultuous early era of his new life. I had early concerns, given what seemed like an overlap in story, that Master of Evil was going to feel like more of the same compared to the Dark Lord of the Sith comic, yet its focus on and development of Goth and his droid friend TC-99, the insidiously interesting mystery at the center of the story, and what Christopher decides to unpack for Vader during this period put any concerns to dust. In fact, there’s some later chapters, where Vader dives into some fascinating Force shenanigans, which both recall the haunting and dark sections of Shadow of the Sith and are written in a style honoring the recently rereleased Revenge of the Sith novelization, and are almost worth the price of admission alone. What completes the package is Goth and TC-99’s part of the story, while some interesting threads left lingering by the novel’s end earn a desire to see where they might go next, though there are a few characters that come along where it feels like we’re missing part of the book when it comes to their part of the story. Overall, Master of Evil plays it smart with Vader and the rest of the cast mostly lives up to the task to make for another memorable novel from Christopher.
Holland Goth and TC-99, or Nines, really form the core of Master of Evil, as their dependence on one another and friendship gives readers an opening to feel sympathy even for an Imperial, though it becomes clear Christopher built plenty of complexity into the story. Goth’s mission to watch after Vader has dueling priorities on who he reports to and why he even wants to do it in the first place, as the ISB, Emperor Palpatine himself, and even Vader all have their reasons to be invested in Goth watching after the Sith Lord, while personal problems in his life and what Vader represents, and is chasing after, cause him to jumble his priorities on who he tells the most truth to. Nines is the only one he confides everything to, fully, and while you’d think this is just Nines’ lot in life, he is a droid after all, Goth helped set him free, he’s his own sentient being. Nines genuinely cares for Goth and Christopher really builds this friendship in big and small ways, from a funny series of fictious (maybe) journals of a galactic traveler the two bond over, how Nines cares for Goth and a mystery disease he suffers from, to Nines helping Goth in his investigation. Goth’s disease is what defines much of his actions, as he pushes back on telling certain parties as an answer to his problems seem to come to light, while Nines’ search for identity defines his, as he feels he needs to rely on side-loading other droid personality matrices to be better, and through their interactions with others and how the story plays out, what they both ultimately decide on feels not only fitting, but well-mapped out and actually snuck up on me emotionally. While it didn’t feel like Goth really was the Royal Guard commander much, we do get a few scenes of him dressing up and working with them but that’s about it, and MoE doesn’t wade too deep into what it means for Nines to be sentient despite being a programmed being, though does touch on it, these two are memorable characters that both carry their own story and say something about Vader’s as well.
Speaking of Vader, MoE rarely steps into his boots directly, yet this is to the book’s strength, not weakness, as less can really be more for the Sith Lord and it applies to the story Christopher is setting out to tell here. Taking place between issues #5 & #6 of the Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith comic series, Vader is a fresh Sith Lord, still adjusting to this new normal and ripe with anger and intent, and he’s just killed his first Jedi to take their lightsaber and bleed the kyber crystal to make his own. Vader bleeding the kyber was one of my Top 5 Moments in 2017’s Star Wars comics (and made it to Chris’ Top 10 of 2015-2019), as he saw a vision of an alternate future, redemption within reach, and he rejects it, and that’s where we pick up with Vader in MoE, angry (when isn’t he?) and eager to learn what he was promised. The journey involves a shaman using the Force to supposedly resurrect the dead and an old mystery from the Clone Wars (which leads to sections fitting spookily into the harvest festive season), and while we already know he won’t find exactly what he’s looking for, a way to bring back Padmé, what he does find about himself slots exceptionally well into not only this timeframe, but in the stories to come, including the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. It can read as too spread out for direct Vader insight at times during MoE, but Christopher’s choices make for a refreshing change of pace compared to some other recent content when it comes to focusing on the Sith Lord and if we have to have more Vader, I’d like it to be more like this in the future.
There are several other characters who become involved with Vader’s search, each one injecting their own wants and desire into the story to really make Master of Evil feel like it folds because of the characters, not the plot. Ziroon and Enoosha, a mother/daughter pair whose lives are first affected during the Clone Wars and later once Vader shows up to their home planet, give Goth a fresh perspective on his actions and those of Vader’s, while the push and pull of the pair’s emotional fallout explores how grief can either fester or be built over, a nice comparison to Vader’s current mindset. As Goth and Vader connect the dots between the Clone Wars and the Empire’s bureaucratic takeover of both losers of the war, one ambitious board member and his assistant from Cybot Galactica get involved as well, and their part of the story covers not only how the rich are truly disconnected from the discontented, but it also delves into some body horror that hits a particular irrational fear of mine, giving MoE a variety of horror to test its readers. Another big player, even if we don’t see a lot of her, is Imperial Security Bureau Supervisor Desler, whose motives and wry sense of humor and playfulness leave her character elusive to what she really wants and who she really works for. When it comes to Ziroon, Enoosha, and even Desler, while I came to really enjoy all these characters, it did feel like part of MoE was missing regarding their stories, as there’s not nearly enough shown regarding the aftermath of what transpired in Ziroon and Enoosha’s past to make their present decisions hit as well as say Goth’s, while Desler is so elusive, even by the end, it sometimes felt like she was from a different book altogether. However, the way MoE leaves things, I’d be intrigued to see certain characters’ stories continue, as what they bring to the story is intriguing enough.
Beyond the big journey and central mystery, Christopher manages to also add in galaxy-building, exploring the change of the Republic into the Empire. It gives Master of Evil a prescient edge, whether in showing how trading away rights in the name of safety and security will only serve the few, not the many, or ignoring the suffering of others, and even the environment, will only lead to ruin and problems. And as it focuses on how the galaxy accepts and normalizes fascism in the rush for perceived safety, it provides another viewpoint on how the galaxy churns and changes, more of a macro-level in most cases than say Reign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear‘s, but together they paint a disturbing picture that one can easily hold up to the Trump administration’s actions. But it’s also fascinating as fans can better understand how the galaxy shifted and organizations like the ISB, COMPNOR, and more arose and how easily the galaxy could turn on the idea of the Jedi Order, filling in some of the blanks of this era that other shows and books have been peeling back the layers on. It’s not the priority of the story, but it’s a nice addition that fills out MoE for the better.
Here are a few other things:
As always, Marc Thompson is behind the audiobook version, but I have to say, the way the team does some of the spookier and ethereal Force stuff, it takes what’s already unnerving while reading and giving it the correct chilly disposition where I’d not want to listen just before bed.
One of the key technologies for the story’s central mysteries got its first canon mention in Master & Apprentice, though this expands on the idea in an interesting matter that future stories could easily use for a variety of purposes.
Mad props to Simon Goinard for the absolutely creepy cover that sections of MoE manage to match at times/read so freaky because of the cover.
Christopher cites Michael Stackpole as a source of support and encouragement, so can you spot the Rogue Squadron references?!?
A very underrated aspect to Master of Evil: Goth is in the room where Palpatine shares the story of Darth Plagueis the Wise in Revenge of the Sith and obviously overhears it, so I loved how this seems built out of such an innocuous situation of someone hearing such a moment, thus giving him the ability to ascertain and put together some information faster than expected. I love a good story where the writer doesn’t draw out characters understanding what the reader does.
There’s a small yet neat little connection to a storyline involving the Royal Guard in the Crimson Reign comic crossover that I greatly appreciated.
Master of Evil by Adam Christopher isn’t your typical book about Darth Vader and that’s for the better, giving fans an intriguing glimpse of the character through the eyes of others, while adding in some some horror elements to really spice things up.
+ Goth and TC-99’s story & less is more with Vader
+ Supporting cast all make memorable impacts…
+ Spooky aspects of the book
– …even if feel like we’re missing part of the book about them
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him and the website on Bluesky.
DISCLOSURE: I received a copy of this book from the publisher at no charge in order to provide an early review. However, this did not affect the overall review content. All opinions are my own.
ALSO BY ADAM CHRISTOPHER:“The Steadfast Soldier” – From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi (novel) | Shadow of the Sith (novel) | “The Witness” – From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back (novel) | “End of Watch” – From a Certain Point of View (novel)
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